Page
68
Translation and transcription

Translation

124

Alas! Unfortunate
mortals! How blind we are!
For we must see that we have lost our senses.
We are so burdened by our sins,
They make us completely forget the right way to live,
Through this holy man we must recover our sight.

620

125

My lords,
let us remember this holy man,
And let us pray to him to deliver us from all evil,
That in this world he may obtain for us peace and joy,
And in the next everlasting glory!
On this note let us say: Our Father.

625

Amen.

(Note:
Some editors, notably G. Paris (1872), use no punctuation at the end
of line 624. They take the sense to run into line 625. The translation
of their reading is:
And in the next world everlasting glory
In the Word itself. And so let us say: Our Father.)

Letter of Pope Gregory, Latin version
See here the reply to holy Gregory to Secundinus the hermit who was asking
for an explanation about pictures: It is one thing to worship a picture;
another to learn, through the story of a picture, what is to be worshipped.
For the thing that writing conveys to those who read, that is what a picture
shows to the illiterate; in the picture itself those who are ignorant
see what they ought to follow. In [the picture] itself those who are unacquainted
with letters [are able to] read. Whence, and particularly among common
folk, a picture serves in place of reading. And towards this especially
you, who dwell among the peoples, ought to direct your attention, much
rather than that you should inadvertently inflame trouble by your righteous
zeal; and through headstrong spirits you should give rise to a stumbling
block. Therefore there has been no need for the breaking down of what
was not intended for worship in the churches. But it is agreed to keep
in place what is purely and simply for instructing the minds of the ignorant;
also because, in venerable places belonging to saints, antiquity has sanctioned,
not without reason, that their stories should be depicted. If you hide
your zeal with prudence, without doubt you might be able both to obtain
advantageously those things which you were intent upon, and avoid scattering
the collected flock. But rather you might gather them together, so that
the undefiled name of shepherd may flourish, and the reproach of [being]
a destroyer not weigh upon you.

Letter of Pope Gregory, Old French version
Here is the reply of holy Gregory to Secundinus the hermit when he asked
for a reason for pictures.
It is one thing to worship a picture and another to learn from the story
of a picture what is to be worshipped. For what writing conveys to those
who can read, a picture shows to the ignorant, for in a picture the ignorant
can see what they ought to follow. In a picture those who are unacquainted
with letters are able to read and for that very reason a picture is like
a lesson for the people. This is something that you who live among the
people should have understood lest while you are heedlessly inflamed by
righteous zeal you create a stumbling block through headstrong spirits.
Scarcely anything should be destroyed so that nothing remains to be worshipped
in churches. But rather [it is agreed to keep in place what is only] for
instructing the minds of the ignorant, also because the Ancients, not
without good reason, directed that stories should be depicted in the venerable
places of the Saints. If you exercised your zeal discreetly without doubt
you could obtain advantageously those things which you were intent upon
and yet not scatter the collected flock, but rather you might gather them
together so that the undefiled name of shepherd may flourish, and the
guilt of [being] a destroyer should have no part therein.

Translation

124

Alas! Unfortunate
mortals! How blind we are!
For we must see that we have lost our senses.
We are so burdened by our sins,
They make us completely forget the right way to live,
Through this holy man we must recover our sight.

620

125

My lords,
let us remember this holy man,
And let us pray to him to deliver us from all evil,
That in this world he may obtain for us peace and joy,
And in the next everlasting glory!
On this note let us say: Our Father.

625

Amen.

(Note:
Some editors, notably G. Paris (1872), use no punctuation at the end
of line 624. They take the sense to run into line 625. The translation
of their reading is:
And in the next world everlasting glory
In the Word itself. And so let us say: Our Father.)

Letter of Pope Gregory, Latin version
See here the reply to holy Gregory to Secundinus the hermit who was asking
for an explanation about pictures: It is one thing to worship a picture;
another to learn, through the story of a picture, what is to be worshipped.
For the thing that writing conveys to those who read, that is what a picture
shows to the illiterate; in the picture itself those who are ignorant
see what they ought to follow. In [the picture] itself those who are unacquainted
with letters [are able to] read. Whence, and particularly among common
folk, a picture serves in place of reading. And towards this especially
you, who dwell among the peoples, ought to direct your attention, much
rather than that you should inadvertently inflame trouble by your righteous
zeal; and through headstrong spirits you should give rise to a stumbling
block. Therefore there has been no need for the breaking down of what
was not intended for worship in the churches. But it is agreed to keep
in place what is purely and simply for instructing the minds of the ignorant;
also because, in venerable places belonging to saints, antiquity has sanctioned,
not without reason, that their stories should be depicted. If you hide
your zeal with prudence, without doubt you might be able both to obtain
advantageously those things which you were intent upon, and avoid scattering
the collected flock. But rather you might gather them together, so that
the undefiled name of shepherd may flourish, and the reproach of [being]
a destroyer not weigh upon you.

Letter of Pope Gregory, Old French version
Here is the reply of holy Gregory to Secundinus the hermit when he asked
for a reason for pictures.
It is one thing to worship a picture and another to learn from the story
of a picture what is to be worshipped. For what writing conveys to those
who can read, a picture shows to the ignorant, for in a picture the ignorant
can see what they ought to follow. In a picture those who are unacquainted
with letters are able to read and for that very reason a picture is like
a lesson for the people. This is something that you who live among the
people should have understood lest while you are heedlessly inflamed by
righteous zeal you create a stumbling block through headstrong spirits.
Scarcely anything should be destroyed so that nothing remains to be worshipped
in churches. But rather [it is agreed to keep in place what is only] for
instructing the minds of the ignorant, also because the Ancients, not
without good reason, directed that stories should be depicted in the venerable
places of the Saints. If you exercised your zeal discreetly without doubt
you could obtain advantageously those things which you were intent upon
and yet not scatter the collected flock, but rather you might gather them
together so that the undefiled name of shepherd may flourish, and the
guilt of [being] a destroyer should have no part therein.